Movies and TV series about orphans

The 47 best titles about orphans, ranked by the iRank Score — our composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb. Every page includes cast, where to watch and similar recommendations.

Shoplifters
iRank87
2018 · Hirokazu Kore-eda
MovieCrimeDramaThriller
In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already
Anne with an E
iRank87
2017 · Tina Grewal
SeriesDramaFamily
A coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and numerous challenges, fights for love and acceptance and for her place in the world. The series centers on a young orphaned girl in the
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
iRank86
2016 · Yoon Ha-lim
SeriesComedyDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
In his quest for a bride to break his immortal curse, a 939-year-old guardian of souls meets a grim reaper and a sprightly student with a tragic past.
Banana Fish
iRank86
2018 · Nobumasa Sawabe
SeriesAction & AdventureAnimationCrime
A teenaged gang leader in New York City faces his abuser and rival gangs alongside a photojournalist from Japan as they investigate a deadly new drug.
DARLING in the FRANXX
iRank85
2018
SeriesAnimationComedyDrama
The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where
Monster
iRank85
2004
SeriesAnimationCrimeDrama
Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, finds his life in utter turmoil after getting involved with a psychopath that was once a former patient.
Saint Seiya
iRank85
1986
SeriesAction & AdventureAnimationDrama
Ages ago, the goddess Athena was served by fighters called Saints who channeled the power of the Cosmos within them. Now a youth named Seiya has trained to become a Saint himself by earning the mystic
Violet Evergarden
iRank85
2018 · Masayuki Nishide
SeriesAnimationDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
The war is over, and Violet Evergarden needs a job. Scarred and emotionless, she takes a job as a letter writer to understand herself and her past.
The Queen's Gambit
iRank84
2020 · Scott Frank
SeriesDrama
In a 1950s orphanage, a young girl reveals an astonishing talent for chess and begins an unlikely journey to stardom while grappling with addiction.
Castle in the Sky
iRank84
1986 · Hayao Miyazaki
MovieActionAdventureAnimation
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Naruto
iRank84
2002
SeriesAction & AdventureAnimationSci-Fi & Fantasy
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village's leader and strongest ninja.
Slumdog Millionaire
iRank84
2008 · Danny Boyle
MovieDramaRomance
A teenager reflects on his life after being accused of cheating on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?".
Made in Abyss
iRank83
2017 · Sho Tanaka
SeriesAction & AdventureAnimationDrama
Located in the center of a remote island, the Abyss is the last unexplored region, a huge and treacherous fathomless hole inhabited by strange creatures where only the bravest adventurers descend in s
The Promised Neverland
iRank83
2019
SeriesAnimationDramaMystery
Emma, Norman and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of the woman they refer to as “Mom,” all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean c
Moonrise Kingdom
iRank83
2012 · Wes Anderson
MovieComedyDramaRomance
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilde
Guardians of the Galaxy
iRank82
2014 · James Gunn
MovieActionAdventureScience Fiction
Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.
Hugo
iRank81
2011 · Martin Scorsese
MovieAdventureDramaFamily
Orphaned and alone except for an uncle, Hugo Cabret lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. Hugo's job is to oil and maintain the station's clocks, but to him, his more important task is
Cinderella
iRank81
1950 · Clyde Geronimi
MovieAnimationFamilyFantasy
Cinderella has faith her dreams of a better life will come true. With help from her loyal mice friends and a wave of her Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella's rags are magically turned into a glorious
The Shape of Water
iRank81
2017 · Guillermo del Toro
MovieDramaFantasyRomance
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a p
Eastern Promises
iRank81
2007 · David Cronenberg
MovieCrimeMysteryThriller
A Russian teenager living in London dies during childbirth but leaves clues in her diary that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.
El Chavo del Ocho
iRank80
1973
SeriesComedyDramaFamily
The mishaps of Chavo, an 8-year-old Mestizo-Latino American orphan boy who lives in a village. Together with Quico, Chilindrina, Ñoño and La Popis, Chavo experiences a series of humorous entanglements
Weathering with You
iRank80
2019 · Makoto Shinkai
MovieAnimationDramaFantasy
The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloo
Tarzan
iRank79
1999 · Chris Buck
MovieAdventureAnimationFamily
Tarzan was a small orphan who was raised by an ape named Kala since he was a child. He believed that this was his family, but on an expedition Jane Porter is rescued by Tarzan. He then finds out that
The Jungle Book
iRank79
2016 · Jon Favreau
MovieAdventureFamilyFantasy
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli, a man-cub fostered by wolves, is forced to flee the jungle, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of the panther, Bagheera, and
His Dark Materials
iRank78
2019 · Francesca Gardiner
SeriesAction & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Lyra is an orphan who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Her search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns int
The Boy and the Beast
iRank78
2015 · Mamoru Hosoda
MovieActionAdventureAnimation
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu
The Sea Beast
iRank78
2022 · Chris Williams
MovieActionAdventureAnimation
When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot.
The Jungle Book
iRank77
1967 · Wolfgang Reitherman
MovieAdventureAnimationFamily
The boy Mowgli makes his way to the man-village with Bagheera, the wise panther. Along the way he meets jazzy King Louie, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the lovable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches
Despicable Me
iRank76
2010 · Pierre Coffin
MovieAnimationComedyCrime
Gru is a supervillain determined to prove he’s the greatest by stealing the Moon. To pull off his plan, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as part of his sche
Creed III
iRank75
2023 · Michael B. Jordan
MovieActionDrama
After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has thrived in his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian Anderson, resurfaces after serving a long sentence
A Series of Unfortunate Events
iRank74
2017 · Daniel Handler
SeriesAction & AdventureComedyFamily
The orphaned Baudelaire children face trials, tribulations and the evil Count Olaf, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents' death.
M3GAN
iRank74
2022 · Gerard Johnstone
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll's programming works t
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
iRank74
1996 · Gary Trousdale
MovieDramaAnimationFamily
Isolated bell-ringer Quasimodo wishes to leave Notre Dame tower against the wishes of Judge Claude Frollo, his stern guardian and Paris' strait-laced Minister of Justice. His first venture to the outs
The Cider House Rules
iRank73
1999 · Lasse Hallström
MovieDrama
Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physic
Elf
iRank73
2003 · Jon Favreau
MovieComedyFamilyFantasy
When young Buddy falls into Santa's gift sack on Christmas Eve, he's transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa's helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can't shak
Cinderella
iRank73
2015 · Kenneth Branagh
MovieDramaFamilyFantasy
When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a da
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
iRank68
2004 · Brad Silberling
MovieAdventureComedyFamily
Three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
iRank67
2020 · Cathy Yan
MovieActionCrime
Harley Quinn joins forces with a singer, an assassin and a police detective to help a young girl who had a hit placed on her after she stole a rare diamond from a crime lord.
The BFG
iRank67
2016 · Steven Spielberg
MovieAdventureFamilyFantasy
An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
iRank65
2016 · Tim Burton
MovieAdventureDramaFamily
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
Orphan
iRank62
2009 · Jaume Collet-Serra
MovieHorrorThriller
After losing their baby, a married couple adopt 9-year old Esther, who may not be as innocent as she seems.
Ballerina
iRank60
2016 · Eric Summer
MovieAdventureAnimationComedy
In 1879 Paris, a young orphan dreams of becoming a ballerina and flees her rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes for someone else and accedes to the position of pupil at the Grand Opera house.
"Wuthering Heights"
iRank60
2026 · Emerald Fennell
MovieDramaRomance
Tragedy strikes when Heathcliff falls in love with Catherine Earnshaw, a woman from a wealthy family in 18th-century England.
Roald Dahl's The Witches
iRank54
2020 · Robert Zemeckis
MovieComedyFamilyFantasy
In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabo
Annie
iRank44
2014 · Will Gluck
MovieComedyDramaFamily
Annie is a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her som
A Cinderella Story
iRank40
2004 · Mark Rosman
MovieComedyFamilyRomance
Routinely exploited by her wicked stepmother, the downtrodden Samantha Montgomery is excited about the prospect of meeting her Internet beau at the school's Halloween dance.
Knights of the Zodiac
iRank38
2023 · Tomek Bagiński
MovieActionFantasyScience Fiction
When a headstrong street orphan, Seiya, in search of his abducted sister unwittingly taps into hidden powers, he discovers he might be the only person alive who can protect a reincarnated goddess, sen